Possibilities: A Time to Heal
by Violet Enigma
Summary: Anders arrives in Kirkwall, establishes his clinic, and meets Hawke (F). Part of my "Possibilities" one-shots, which will eventually turn into a linear tale once the muses stop bouncing me all around the story.


A/N: There's really no mention of how Anders gets to Kirkwall, it's like he's just suddenly there. I wanted to show a bit of how his arrival in the city could happen, and though I was originally going to have him get into a fight in the story, but then I remembered a group conversation he has with Fenris where he reiterates "I'm charming." So I went with a bit more of a charming Anders than a combat oriented one, also some of the bad grammar/spelling is on purpose.

Also, I fully intend to bring all my "Possibilities" stories into one long chapter story, I'd prefer is to be a linear tale, not episodic. And currently the muses see fit to bounce me around the tale.

Disclaimer: Dragon Age is owned by Bioware, I just like to play here.

Anders grimaced as he straightened up from the stairs from the ship's hold. He moved out of the path of the other refugees, and took a moment to stretch his tall frame before exiting the ship and stepping onto the Kirkwall docks. He had to admit to himself that it felt good to be on solid ground again. He caught up with the last of the refugees, and followed them. They seemed to be heading under the city of Kirkwall.

_Great, _he thought to himself_, this'll be fun._

**If we can help them, we must.**

Anders waved his hand in front of his face, trying to ward off Justice's thoughts, even though he already agreed with them. This only caused the refugee walking next to him to look at him strange and quicken his pace. As Anders continued to follow the group from the boat, he saw other refugees crowded in corners, huddling together for warmth. Some were coughing, others looked pale and still others feverish.

_Yes, we can help them. But first we must find a place_.

Anders spent the next several hours wandering around what seemed to be called Darktown. He noticed some steps and then a set of doors. He went to the doors, and opened one. Blackness greeted him behind the door.

_Well it certainly is dark._ Anders glanced behind him before stepping into the room and closing the door. He cast a simple illumination spell which helped to light the area around him. The room seemed to be some kind of storage space. Boxes and tables were everywhere.

**Here. Help them from here.**

"Yes well, first things first we'd need some light, cots, supplies, and help. Let's find that contact topside."

He moved toward the door, and extinguished the light as he touched the handle. As he opened the door, two dirty men stood on the other side glaring at him.

"Whacha tink yer doin' 'ere?" one of them managed to growl out.

Anders raised his hands to show them he had no weapons, hoping they wouldn't attack a supposedly unarmed man.

"I'm sorry, I just got here and I was exploring. Who owns the room behind me?"

"Why?" asked the other fingering the dagger at his side.

"I just thought it was a nice space."

"Fer whut?"

"Well, let me ask you something first. Do you have family down here?"

The men glanced at each other then looked at Anders and nodded slowly.

"Are any of them sick?" Again they nod.

"Do you have any money?" They shake their heads.

"Well men, after seeing everyone down here sick and suffering, I want to start a free clinic, and just need to know if anyone owns that space."

"No une," answered the one wearing the dagger. "You see' Lirene?"

"That's who I was about to go talk to, would you lead me to her?"

The two men turned and led Anders up to Lowtown to see Lirene.

**They could have attacked you. You have too much faith.**

Anders smiled at Justice's statement, knowing he had to take that chance, since he knew no one in the city. Good as their word, the men led Anders to Lirene; she had a small enclosed shop located just off the Lowtown Bizarre near the bridge to Hightown. She stared hard at the blonde mage when he entered her shop, his guides stayed outside after nodding in farewell but only when he promised he could find his way back. Anders could tell right away Lirene wasn't sure what to make of him.

"How can I help you?" she asked him in clipped tones.

"Actually, I was hoping I could help you."

Her eyes narrowed at the statement. "And how can you help me?"

Anders noticed the bandage on her hand; he did a quick glance around the store to make sure he was the only one present.

"May I?" he inquired, pointing to her hand.

She regarded him warily, but slowly gave her bandaged hand to him. Anders un-wrapped her hand gently, revealing a nasty cut a few hours old.

"How did this happen?" He asked, glancing up at Lirene.

"Wasn't being careful, cut it on one of the weapons I sell."

"This should help." That being said, Anders hand hovered over the wound and began to glow a pale blue. He heard Lirene gasp as the cut closed and all that was left was a tiny scar. "I want to open a clinic. I want to help our people from Fereldan."

"Of course," Lirene stammered, glancing up at him. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, there's this area in Darktown, nice closed in space. Would you like to see it later? We'll need lanterns."

Lirene nodded at Anders, and for just a brief second he saw hope flicker in her eyes.

* * *

Lirene sighed, it had taken a few months to set-up the clinic in Darktown, and even before they had officially "opened" Anders was already helping many of the refugees. It took some time, and a lot of effort on Lirene's part but people eventually got the message that it was a free clinic. They could donate money at Lirene's shop to help, but they didn't need to give anything to their healer unless they wanted.

Lirene eyed the well dressed female as she came into the shop, followed closely by a dwarf, an elf, and another human male. She stopped at the labeled donation box, and Lirene noticed the gold sovereigns slip through her fingers into the box, even though the room was crowded. Lirene noticed the sadness in her eyes as she looked around at the refugees needing help after she righted herself from the donation box.

"Can I help you?" Lirene asked, when the young woman came to stand in front of her.

"I hear you know where I can find a Fereldan Gray Warden."

"Only Gray Warden I know is sitting on the throne."

"The healer was one of them once, wasn't he?" one of the nearby refugees inquired.

"And he's not now. We're out of the blight's path, what do you need a Warden for?"

"Who are you protecting?" Hawke inquired cautiously.

"You see our people, most have no jobs, no homes. Most can't even buy bread. This healer cares for the sick without asking for payment and I won't lose him to the blighted templars."

"He's a mage? He has nothing to fear from me."

"I suppose it's not my secret to keep, Anders has been free enough with his services. When in Darktown, look for the lit lanterns if your need is great enough, he will be within."

"Thank you."

Lirene nodded as the young woman turned, and left. She turned to one of the children in the store, promising him a copper on his return, and told him to go and warn Anders people were looking for him. She knew he wouldn't leave his clinic but at least this way he wouldn't be caught off guard when the group arrived.

* * *

Thanks to the little boys warning from Lirene, Anders was prepared for the group's arrival. However, he had a boy to save, and magic or not, he wasn't going to let the family down. He bent over the boys form, probing his limp form with magic to find what was wrong. As Anders worked, he could see the door to the clinic open and four people enter but he wasn't about to let his concentration be broken by their untimely arrival so he continued to heal the poor child. The boy had influenza, which would explain the trouble breathing, and the reason his father had to carry him into the clinic.

Anders began to use his healing ability to draw out the excess moisture from his lungs, and then heal the portions that had become damaged. As he completed his work, the boy on the table sat up taking in a huge gulp of air, but the work left Anders tired and he found himself leaning against the pillar of stone not too far away. The boy's father came up behind him, and thanked him for helping his son. Anders could feel the group of intruders coming further into the clinic, and as they drew closer he felt one of them possessed magic. Fear gripped his heart, and he felt Justice try to take over.

**They will destroy you; take you back to the circle or the wardens! That cannot happen. We have much to do here.**

Anders fought off Justice's influence, turned grabbing his staff and looked at the group, ready for battle if need be.

"I have made this a place of healing and salvation. Why do you threaten it?"

"Strange occupation for a warden, aren't they more about taint and death? Not healing and salvation," the woman leading the party quipped, holding her hand up to try and placate Anders. He noticed the elf in her party moved behind her with his hand on his great sword, ready to push her aside if Anders continued to threaten the group, while the dwarf at her side was also trying to show that he was not a threat.

_She's Fereldan!_ Anders quickly thought to himself as he put his staff down again and said: "Did the wardens send you? I'm not going back. Those bastards made me get rid of my cat. Poor Sir Pounce-a-lot, he hated the Deep Roads."

"You had a cat, named Sir Pounce-a-lot in the Deep Roads?" the dwarf piped in from her side, sharing a raised eyebrow and smirk with his female companion.

"He was a gift, a noble beast," Anders stated, defending his cat with a small smile on his lips. "Nearly got torn in half by a genlock once, swatted the bugger on the nose. He drew blood too."

Anders noticed the woman and dwarf look at each other and shrug in unison before the woman looked back at Anders and studied him. He couldn't help notice that next to her short raven dark locks of hair, her turquoise eyes stood out in sharp contrast. _I could get lost in those eyes._ He found himself musing.

**Focus! She could still be a threat!**

"I always heard joining the wardens was for life," the female stated.

"Well, that's only partly true. The hopelessly tainted and plagued by dreams about the archdemon bits don't go away. Turns out, if you hide well, you don't have to wear the uniform or go to the parties."

"You came all the way to Kirkwall, just to escape the wardens?"

"You say that like it's a small thing," Anders sighed, getting frustrated with this line of questioning. "Yes, I came to Kirkwall because there's no warden outpost, a whole mess of refugees to blend in with, and some reasons of my own."

"I'm planning an expedition to the Deep Roads, and I heard you might have some maps."

"I would die a happy man if I never had to go to the blighted Deep Roads again, although…a favor for a favor, does that seem like a fair deal?"

"Help my expedition get into the Deep Roads safely, and I'll do anything you ask."

"You don't ask my term, what if I was asked for the Knight-Commander's head on a pike?"

Anders heard the elf growl behind the woman, and noticed his hand twitch towards his great sword.

"Is that what you ask?" she finally asked, after turning to placate the elf behind her.

"You decide," Anders stated, narrowing his eyes at the elf. "I have a friend staying in the wretched gallows, help me get him out and I'll give you the maps."

"You want to make your friend an apostate, like us?"

"That's such weighted term," Anders growled out.

"How exactly do you expect us to storm the Gallows?" the elf demanded, clearly not liking this idea.

"I sent him a letter telling him to meet me in the chantry tonight, if everything goes smoothly we all walk out as free men," Anders clarified.

"Who is this friend?" the woman asked, liking the idea of going to the chantry instead of the Gallows.

"His name is Karl Thekla, and he was brought from Fereldan when the Kirkwall circle needed new talent. We were writing to each other with the help of a maid who works in the circle, but I fear for him because I haven't heard from him in awhile. I wrote him and told him to meet me in the chantry tonight, please will you help me?"

"We should not be battling templars," the elf growled from behind the group.

"The only reason we will have to battle templars is if they believe that friends of mages should die for helping them be free."

"Not all mages should be free," the elf pointed out.

"I would help a fellow mage, maps or no, under these circumstances," the female finally spoke up, waving away the elf's warnings.

**That was unexpected.**

"Then I'll see you tonight outside the chantry," Anders stated.

"Oh, I'm Hawke by the way, just so you know who you're working with," she said with a smile, motioning to her companions in turn. "This is Fenris and Varric."

"Hawke, I've heard of you," Anders mused. "You worked with the Red Iron, what was a mage doing helping a band of mercenaries?"

"Well, it was the only way to get into the city at the time, and it seemed more in league with my brother's interests than my own," Hawke explained with a shrug. "Carver's a warrior like Fenris, and seemed to enjoy Meeran's company more than Athenril's, the smuggler."

"I didn't expect such honesty," Anders stated, surprised.

"It's the least I could do after Sir Pounce-a-lot," she said with a grin, waving as she left the clinic followed closely by Fenris and Varric.

Anders watched her leave, and found himself looking forward to seeing her again tonight at the chantry. _A mage after my own heart, can't find many of those living free anymore._

**You would break her heart if you continue this.**


End file.
